76ERS: Losing streak inches closer to NBA record

Philadelphia 76ers' Thaddeus Young, right, goes up for a shot against New York Knicks' Tyson Chandler during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, March 21, 2014, in Philadelphia. New York won 93-92. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

PHILADELPHIA — In a not-so-stunning development, the 76ers lost Friday night. They’ve possibly lost more than a game, too.

Sixth man-turned-spot starter Tony Wroten went down with a right ankle injury midway through the fourth quarter of the New York Knicks’ 93-92 victory over the Sixers.

While driving the lane with 6:01 remaining, Wroten stepped on the foot of Knicks guard Iman Shumpert and crumpled. Wroten remained on the floor, grabbing at his right foot while teammates surrounded him. The second-year guard did not return to the game.

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But this one could have been different.

The Sixers used a 16-1 run to cut New York’s lead to two, at 92-90.

Thaddeus Young hit a 3-pointer made it a two-point game with 32.5 seconds to go, after the Knicks turned what could have been a time-killing possession into a turnover. The Sixers called a timeout with 13.6 seconds left when Michael Carter-Williams came down with the rebound of a 3-pointer miss from the Knicks’ Tim Hardaway, Jr.

Off the inbound, the Sixers’ James Anderson got the ball and dribbled left. He looked for Young in the corner, but instead bounce-passed the ball out of bounds. New York’s Carmelo Anthony made only one of two subsequent free throws. Carter-Williams went the length of the court for a potential game-tying 3, but it popped off the rim.

The loss was the 23rd in a row for the Sixers (15-54), who are three losses shy of matching the league record for the longest losing streak. And it was their 18th straight loss at Wells Fargo Center. One more equals the NBA record.

When everything is going just right, these Sixers have a way of keeping games competitive. They’ve done deep into the fourth quarter in four of their last five games.

“We can battle,” Brown said. “We can keep the game close if we’re spot-on.”

Losing Wroten to injury late in the fourth quarter, and Henry Sims to foul trouble early in the third, weren’t exactly in the Sixers’ best interests.

Sims – who finished with 16 points and 13 rebounds – nearly had a double-double by halftime. He was all Sixers coach Brett Brown had in the way of a viable defensive option down low against the Knicks’ Tyson Chandler and Amare’ Stoudemire.

Sims came to the Sixers with more DNPs this season than games played. Thirty-two days later, he’s the guy on whose behalf Brown will leap from his seat to defend against foul calls. He’s the guy the Sixers sorely missed, when Sims had to check out after picking up his fourth personal foul.

It would have been difficult to fathom that Sims, the second-year center who had 20 appearances and 35 DNPs with Cleveland, would become an impact player upon getting traded to the Sixers in the deadline deal that included Spencer Hawes.

But with Sims off the floor, streaking New York (29-40), which has won eight in a row, outrebounded the Sixers, 11-8, and shot 10-for-16 in the period.

Still, the Sixers trailed New York by as many as nine points in the third quarter, at 55-46. Then they went on a 6-0 spurt, with two buckets by Thaddeus Young and a dunk from Jarvis Varnado. That got them within three, at 55-52, with 5:18 left in the third. Then the Knicks scored six unanswered and didn’t look back.

Carter-Williams received medical attention on the Sixers’ bench at the 6:15 mark of the second quarter, after taking a hand to the face from the Knicks’ J.R. Smith. The guard took a swipe at the ball, and instead smacked Carter-Williams.

The rookie didn’t miss any time, though, checking back in with gauze shoved up his bloody nose.